Athletes participating in severe contact sports, such as American football, are subject to exposure to hyperextension, whiplash-type head movement, and axial cervical compressive forces. Players at positions such as interior lineman, for example, are subjected to physical contact on virtually every play which can force the player's head rapidly backward to create a whiplash effect which can result in serious and disabling injury. Moreover, persons involved in activities such as high speed vehicle test piloting and race car driving can also be exposed to hyperextension or whiplash-type injuries caused by high rates of acceleration and impact forces.
Several types of helmet restrictors have been developed for athletes participating in severe contact sports such as football wherein the player's helmet, for example, is interconnected with a set of shoulder pads, or other support structure worn on the shoulders, by a brace which restricts backward movement of the helmet.
However, these devices also severely limit rotational or side-to-side movement of the head, which restriction is usually unwanted by the player and may interfere with play execution as a result of the limitations on head movement.
Yet another type of conventional protective device used by football athletes, in particular, comprises a cushion-like collar which is attached to the shoulder pads and substantially encircles the neck between the helmet and the pads. Again, that type of collar is uncomfortable and limits head movement in directions which the player may wish to make. Such types of collars also tend to sometimes exert a choking effect on the wearer when severely deflected or purposely or inadvertently grabbed by another player during play action. Moreover, some conventional restraint devices have also been constructed in a manner which does not adequately take advantage of the load reacting and distributing capability of the largest structure worn by a football player, namely the shoulder pad assembly. The limitations of conventional devices noted herein, as well as others recognizable to those skilled in the art, have been substantially overcome by the protective helmet support and movement restrictor of the present invention.